The energy tariff that’s £80 cheaper than the Big Six – and it’s good for the environment

Signing-up for Our Power's new nationwide deal will help keep energy costs low for those at risk of fuel poverty

Rob Goodman

23 Feb 2018, 11:07

Updated: 26 Feb 2018, 10:13

A SMALL ethical energy company is hoping to do its bit for those struggling to pay their bills with the launch of its first nationwide tariff.

Edinburgh-based Our Power is a not-for-profit supplier which was set up by housing associations in 2016 to try and cut fuel costs for tenants finding it hard to heat their homes.

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You can help support those at risk of fuel poverty - and save around £80 a year with Our Power's new tariffCredit: Tim Graham - Getty

And now it's launched its new +IMPACT deal, which as well as being competitively priced, will help keep the cost low for their customers on lower incomes and at risk of fuel poverty on its "Best Energy" tariff.

Our Power hopes to recruit at least 10,000 new customers to its new tariff by the end of 2018 - and reckons Brits with an average energy use could save around £80 a year by switching to it from one of the Big Six firms.

As well as helping out those who are struggling, Our Power is also helping the environment too - the tariff is "100 per cent green", with its energy coming from renewable sources.

Chief executive Dawn Muspratt said that fuel poverty affects around four million hard-up Brits and the new tariff will help support them.

How to switch suppliers and save hundreds

SWITCHING suppliers is the best way you can cut your energy bills. But recent research from MoneySuperMarket found that households are throwing away hundreds of pounds a year by not bothering. Here's what you need to do.

Shop around - If you're on an expensive Standard Variable Tariff (SVT) deal you are throwing around £300 a year. Use a comparison site like MoneySuperMarket.com or EnergyHelpline.com to see what best deals are available to you.

The cheapest deals are usually found online and are fixed deals - meaning you'll pay a fixed amount usually for 12 months.

Switch - When you've found one, all you have to do is contact the new supplier.

It helps to have the following information - which you can find on your bill - to hand to give the new supplier.

Your postcode

Name of your existing supplier

Name of your existing deal and how much you pay

An up-to-date meter reading

It will then notify your current supplier and begin the switch.

It should take no longer than three weeks to complete the switch and your supply won't be interrupted in that time.

She said: "Our new tariff is competitively priced and those who switch will save around £80 per year.

"More importantly, for every home that switches to the +IMPACT tariff, Our Power can help to bring energy costs down for families living in or at risk fuel poverty.

"It’s a win-win for everyone."

While the ethical edge of the new tariff will make it appealing for many, it's not the cheapest on the market, with an average cost of £1,043 for a medium energy user.

But you could save as much as £324 more by switching to another provider from one of the typical Big Six deals instead.

Claire Osborne, energy expert at uSwitch.com, told The Sun Online: "It's encouraging to see a new challenger supplier bring an innovative tariff to the market to help tackle the important issue of fuel poverty.

"However, while customers switching to this tariff could save £80, there are savings of up to £324 on offer. Our advice is to always to do a wider market comparison to find the best deal for you."

Here are three cheapest deals available on the market and the savings you could make compared to the average cost of a typical Big Six deal of £1,131:

Experts expect that it won't be before 2019 households will see their bills come down due to the length of time it will take for the bill to become law, so Brits should switch now to save cash on their bills.

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